Tonight, Friday 26 October, is a very special night for 10 lucky science and natural history fans, as they will be spending an exclusive evening sleeping over at the Museum.

At 28 September's Science Uncovered evening we ran a discovery trail called Stamped on Science and 5 attendees who completed the trail were drawn from almost 200 entries and won themselves, and a guest, an amazing overnight experience in our hallowed Central Hall, and tonight is the big night.

One of the many Stamped on Science-ers collecting a stamp on the night.

After they've enjoyed all we have on offer as part of our monthly Friday Lates with MasterCard, the 10 attendees will begin their unforgettable experience.

Museum scientists Dr Adrian Glover and Dr Victoria Herridge will guide them on exclusive behind-the-scenes tours and bring out specimens not normally on display to the public while they talk about their research.

Sounds like a lot of fun for those lucky 5 winners and their guests, who were just a fraction of the 9,077 visitors we had through the South Kensington doors (another 554 attended Tring) for our third annual Science Uncovered festival last month.

More than 500 scientists, staff, volunteers and visiting experts helped make the event possible and we're sure everyone who attended will agree it was a wonderful evening.

Have a look at some of our favourite pictures and see for yourself. Select the images to enlarge them.

At the Space Station comets were re-created using (mostly) household ingredients: dry ice, gravel (for the carbonaceous materials), worcester sauce (for the organic materials) and Mr Muscle (for the ammonia).

The skulls and other remains of our ancient ancestors at the Human Origins Station were a talking point for lots of visitors who chatted to Museum experts on the subject of where we came from.

Making your own cave art was a popular activity and resulted in a colourful display of familiar images and more contemporary hands-on contributions.

A state-of-the-art digital specimen table uncovered layers of a mummified cat (pictured) and Martian meteorites with the swipe of a finger.

Discovering the magic of minerals and their structures

The incredible palaeontological specimens at the Extinction Station station were a hit.

Scientists enjoyed the chance to chat about their research and show off their specimens, including here at the Ocean Stations (above and below).

Sea silk, one of the strange underwater specimens on show at the Oceans Station.

The Antarctica Science Station gave people a taste of the cold conditions scientists, researchers and explorers experience at the South Pole.

Many of the younger visitors could be found experimenting at being a vet and treating some very cuddly (toy) creatures at the Vets Station.

Behind-the-scenes tours gave visitors the chance to step into the role of scientist in our labs.

The tour of the Museum's library proved popular for its special access to historic artwork and texts.